NEWS

Snakes, and the People Who Love Them T. Jefferson Parker, T. Jefferson Parker is a novelist and writer who lives in Orange County. His column appears in OC Live! the first three Thursdays of every month

Shane Puts on Party Face ANNE MICHAUD, Anne Michaud is a staff writer for The Times Orange County Edition. Information for the Newsbites column can be faxed to (714) 966-5663, or addressed to: Newsbites/OC Live!, The Times Orange County, 1375 Sunflower Ave., Costa Mesa, Calif. 92626. Or call (714) 966-7898. and

Is Cooperation the Right Approach to Fuel the U.S. Car Idea? MICHAEL SCHRAGE, Michael Schrage is a writer, consultant and research associate at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. He writes this column independently for The Times. He can be reached by electronic mail at schrage@latimes.com on the Internet